(Rev 13:16) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

(17) And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

(18) Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Speculation is fairly rampant in the body of Christ today regarding who the antichrist is and what the

mark of the beast will be as referred to in Revelation 13:16. It also seemed during the early church that

the same speculative spirit was also rampant in their day regarding the identification of the beast and

his mark. As stated previously, many believe that through Gematria, the numerical value ? 666 ?

represents one less than perfect (777) and further support this by the fact that “Jesus” totals 888 (one

greater than perfect). The feeling was thus that the mark of the beast represented a numerological

value of the Beast’s actual name.

Irenaeus one of the early Church Father, spoke unapprovingly about a group of fellow believers who

were enthusiastically trying to decipher the name of the Antichrist based on the value the Greek letters

using Gematria. Their expectation was quite real, thinking that the end?time scenario — tribulation,

Antichrist, second coming — would play out in the near future. Irenaeus’ advice was to await the

fulfillment of certain prophecies in Revelation, including the fall of the Roman Empire and rise of the ten

kings, before they begin to speculate on who the Antichrist might be.

Whilst during the early church the focus was on Gematria as a means to uncode the definition of the

Mark of the Beast, this then took a sudden turn of interpretation during the reformation period to a

view that the mark of the beast was in reference to the Roman Catholic Church System.

John Wycliffe “When the western church was divided for about 40 years between two rival popes, one in Rome

and the other in Avigon, France, each pope called the other pope antichrist ? and John Wycliffe is reputed to have

regarded them as both being right: “two halves of Antichrist, making up the perfect Man of Sin between them.”

Thomas Cranmer (1489?1556) (Anglican): “Whereof it followeth Rome to be the seat of antichrist, and the pope to be very antichrist himself. I could prove the same by many other scriptures, old writers, and strong reasons.”

John Wesley (1703?1791) (Methodist): Speaking of the Papacy, John Wesley wrote, “He is in an emphatical sense, the Man of Sin, as he increases all manner of sin above measure. And he is, too, properly styled the Son of

Perdition, as he has caused the death of numberless multitudes, both of his opposers and followers… He it is…that

exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped…claiming the highest power, and highest

honour…claiming the prerogatives which belong to God alone.”

Martin Luther (1483?1546) (Lutheran): Based on prophetic studies, Martin Luther finally declared, “We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist.” (Aug. 18, 1520). It was Antichrist whom they beheld seated on the pontifical throne. This new idea, which derived greater strength from the

prophetic descriptions launched forth by Luther into the midst of his contemporaries, inflicted the most terrible

blow on Rome.”

John Calvin (1509?1564) (Presbyterian): “Some persons think us too severe when we call the

Roman pontiff Antichrist. But those who are of this opinion do not consider that they bring the same charge of

presumption against Paul himself, after whom we speak and whose language we adopt… I shall briefly show that

(Paul’s words in II Thess. 2) are not capable of any other interpretation than that which applies them to the

Papacy.”

Roger Williams (1603?1683) (First Baptist Pastor in America): Pastor Williams spoke of the Pope as “the pretended Vicar of Christ on earth, who sits as God over the Temple of God, exalting himself not only above all that is called God, but over the souls and consciences of all his vassals, yea over the Spirit of Christ, over the Holy Spirit, yea, and God himself…speaking against the God of heaven, thinking to change times and laws; but he is the son of perdition (II Thess. 2).”

John Knox (1505?1572) (Scotch Presbyterian): John Knox sought to counteract “that tyranny which the pope

himself has for so many ages exercised over the church.” As with Luther, he finally concluded that the Papacy was

“the very antichrist and son of perdition, of whom Paul speaks.”

Cotton Mather (1663?1728) (Congregational Theologian): “The oracles of God foretold the rising of an Antichrist in the Christian Church: and in the Pope of Rome, all the characteristics of that Antichrist are so marvelously

answered that if any who read the Scriptures do not see it, there is a marvelous blindness upon them.”

My notes” I find it ironic and unbelievable that all of the above come from individuals whom represented churches or organizations which were nothing more than shoots or branches of the “state church” maintaining most of the same doctrines of the Papacy. Most, almost completely to this day maintain many doctrines, customs and spiritual beliefs or practices which have been and are part of the Papacy. Until a protestant church fully follows the teachings of Christ and the Apostles and completely denies the doctrines of the Vatican they are nothing more than a daughter of the Catholic Church.Christianity should NOT be and is NOT a school of thought; it is neither a philosophical concept nor a doctrine which changes often to comply with political correctness, social decadence, and the advancement of “so called Christian” standards which are often based on half- truths and outright lies.

The very first and original church was Apostolic and its “Teachings” were divine. The Word of God is “divinelyinspired”, II Peter 1:21. The apostles received these “Teachings” as revelations from Jesus Christ.

In the gospel of John; John chapter one, verse one: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” The spirit and the word agree, for the Word is a product of the Spirit of God.

Why am I writing this as part of my series “New World Order”. Folks, 90 % of the church Will In Fact submit to the Anti-Christ; it will it will be done in support of social justice for the masses.